The Mummy 5: Through the Tunnels of Russia
by E.M.Bryant97
Summary: Thirty years after their first mummy adventure, the O'Connell's settle down and raise their grandson, Adam. But when Adam starts getting strange dreams of the undead, they set off on another journey that proves you're never too old for adventure.
1. Tales of Adventure

Prologue-

Tsar Nicholas II was a great and powerful man, said to hold all the powers of the universe. He was the last, and the most ruthless, Emperor of ancient Russia. He was so bad to his people that they often called him by 'bloody Nicholas'.

He had fallen ill over the last few months of his life, and wanted somewhere to conceal his riches. His priests hid the gold, silver, and jewels deep down underneath the earth, where no person would ever find it.

Once he died, his coffin was lined with his most precious rubies and jewelry, protected with the sacred prayers his priests put upon it.

His extra gold was laced into the clothing of his children, who were also buried with him once they passed onto the afterlife. They remained sealed in the catacombs, waiting for all eternity.

London, 1960-

"Adam's grandma, tell us the rest of that mummy story!" all the second graders of Crest-lake elementary school squealed with delight. It was "bring your grandparents to school" day, so obviously, Adam brought Evelyn. While other grandmothers droned on about baking cookies or sewing clothes all day, Evi's stories were always filled with adventure and suspense. "Okay, fine. Where did we leave off?" Evi sighed. Practically half the class was in a circle around her and Adam. "Oh! It was the part when you looked into Rick's eyes, and couldn't bear to be without him-"

"-no it wasn't Sally! Go back to the part when you went through that trap door, then saw the dude with his eyes eaten out by the mummy!" the boys grinned.

"Uh, I don't want to be responsible for any brain trauma or anything!" Evi laughed, "Tell you what. How about when Adam's dad almost got eaten by little pygmies?"

Everyone cheered in unison. "Adam's grandma, I think you're the coolest person here!" Sally commented.

"Thanks, but I have a name you know." she smiled.

"Just get to the story!" Adam complained.

"Fine. So there I was, abducted by the evil mummies followers, tied up and defenseless, no where to turn..." she let the suspense settle in. "after the mummy was reborn, his ugly girlfriend tried throwing me into a humongous fire!" she said, seeing all their little faces lean forward to hear more. "Right before the flames touched me, Rick jumped over the fire and brought me to safety." she sighed, as if remembering the memory. "It's just so romantic!" Sally cried,

"Tell us more!" they all yelled. Even the dingy old grandmas put down their knitting to listen. "I was surrounded by bad guys, Ardneth on my right, Alex on my left,"

"Adam's grandma, can I speak to you for a moment please?" the teacher interrupted. All the kids groaned. "But she's almost done!"

"Now?" Evi sighed, "And again with the naming issues!" she got up, going over to her desk. "I'm sorry, Mrs. O'Connell. We've got some complaints about your stories."

"From whom?" she demanded.

"Parents. Students have been coming home going on and on about, quote, 'mummies sucking the life out of people' and other nonsense like that!"

"I see," Evi sighed, "what's that got to do with me?"

"You're corrupting our students minds with all this make believe!"

"Make believe?" Evi laughed, "It doesn't hurt to know these things early in life! I mean, look at Adam, he's a good student, no trouble, great grades, everything!" she smiled, glancing over at him. He was surrounded by overwhelming comments about how awesome he was. "so you're saying what you told them was all true?" the teacher asked. "Yes, I would never lie to little kids!" Evi said reassuringly.

"Security!"

"That's not necessary!" she said, struggling in the guards arms. "I demand you let me go!" she yelled, "You'll be cursed for this I tell you!"

"Grandma, can I call Acalan and see if he can come over to play with me?" Rick and Evi's precious grandson asked. His parents, Alex and Lin, were taking a vacation at the Caribbean islands, and wouldn't be back for a few weeks. Evi had told him about their South American journey a few years back, and ever since, he and Acalan had become best friends. Adam was only seven years old, almost half the age of their old friend from Caligua. Acalan came ever so often to visit, since he got that nifty time travel trinket from the sun god. They had taught him everything about the 20th century, and even bought him his own cell phone. For a village of 300B.C, they have great cell phone service. She and Rick were also teaching him and his family English step by step.

"Okay, okay. I'll give his parents a quick call!" Evi reassured, smiling at his anticipation. Adam really hadn't grasped yet the fact that Acalan was from another century. To him, he was a friend that was always there when it got boring playing with his grandparents. "Um, hello, I was just wondering if Acalan would like to come over to play some games with Adam." Evi said.

"Well he's almost done milking the cows, and feeding the parrot, so he'll be there in a sec," his mother answered, yelling to her son.

Evi put down the phone, looking at Adam. "He'll be here in a minute. Why don't you wait for him by the door?"

"Okay!" he grinned, running over to the window, peering out it eagerly. "I'll go see what your grandpas up to!" she said, leaving the room in a hurry.

Acalan showed up in front of the house shortly after. Adam was bursting with excitement by the door, swinging it open. "You're here!" he yelled, running to his side. "How's things been since the last time I've seen you?" he smiled.

"Well things aren't really exiting anymore since grandma and grandpa won't do anything fun anymore. They told me about all the mummies they defeated and all the fun they had; I don't think there's any more for me," he sighed. "Don't be silly! Rick and Evi O'Connell? Boring? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Acalan laughed, "Maybe you should talk to them,"

"Already tried that. All they want to do anymore is talk about my dad and smart stuff I can't understand." Adam said, looking down at the hot pavement. "So, what game did you want to play?" he said, trying to cheer him up. "Oh! It's this new one where you can make your own person and attack these zombies that come into your house and try to eat your brains!" he said delightedly. "You had me at zombies!" Acalan grinned, running into the house.

"Well the boys are getting at that zombie game YOU bought him," she grinned sarcastically, entering his den. "That's great. What've you been up to?" Rick asked, sitting her down next to him. "Working. Sleeping. Typical grandma stuff." she sighed.

"Oh please, you look great for someone that's fifty years old!"

"Oh shut up you!" she pegged him in the arm, "I didn't know being a grandparent would wear you out so much!"

"I know. It's hard to believe Alex has his own kid now. I still remember when he was that age!"

"I miss him too. But, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about." Evi said, looking into his eyes. "Anything," he said, curious what she had to say.

"It's about Jonathan. I think he might be in trouble."

Rick stared at her, knowing she was probably right. "Tell me everything." he sighed.

"I don't know. I just have a feeling that something is wrong."

"That's it?"

"You think I'm lying?"

"I never said that,"

"Well you got to believe me; we have to go help him!"

"Help him with what?" Rick said, getting annoyed. "Rick. Listen to me. Jonathan left for Moscow three weeks ago, and we haven't gotten a single word back."

"And you think that's unusual?"

"Ok you got me. But we still have to go!"

"All the way to Russia... with Adam?"

"Well I guess so,"

Rick got up, holding her in his arms. "When've you ever had a vision that didn't come true?"

"Then we're going?" Evi said.

"Do we have a choice?"


	2. Dreams of The Dead

Just as his sister expected, Jonathan was in trouble. His vacation turned into a horrible nightmare when he heard about the lost jewel of Russia's greatest king. He was told the body was buried deep down, beneath the cold earth, hidden inside the ancient catacombs for eternity. When a mysterious man approached him and told him about the riches, Jonathan almost had a new best friend! The man said he knew how to get inside the catacombs, and offered to take Jonathan with him. Of corse, he said yes. The next day, right before sunrise, the two had set off towards the secret entrance. Much to Jonathan's displeasure, they had to walk to the opening. When they finally got to the steep slope that beckoned darkness, Jonathan was more than eager to enter. Down they went, avoiding the slippery pools of water and overhanging cobwebs. Jonathan only had his love for everything shiny to keep him going. His head filled with wondrous thoughts of all the money hidden with that dead dude. Lost in his dreams, he didn't even notice his best friend slip away back towards the light. It wasn't for a few hours later did Jonathan realized what was happening. "Um- hello?" he called, expecting an answer. The silence was beginning to freak him out. He tried to retrace his steps, but he got nowhere. "Blasted little! I'm going to find those jewels, and when I do, I'll rub 'em in your face!" he yelled, hoping he could hear it. He sat down and looked around. "I could live here... Eat spiders... Marry a beetle... Have three kids... Oh what am I saying? I'm going mad!"

"Pack some stuff and climb into the car Adam!" Evi yelled, packing some food into clear, plastic containers. "Let me guess; it's about Jonathan isn't it?" he sighed.

"How did you know?"

"Lucky guess,"

"Well, get off the couch and hurry up!" Rick said, looking at Acalan.

"Walk your friend to the door," Evi gestured towards the front entrance.

"But the game just-"

"No, we have to go now!" Rick grumbled, picking him up.

"Fine. Sorry Acalan, come back in a few weeks. If I'm still alive by then!" Adam grinned.

"Thanks." Evi said, pleased at least one person in the house knew how to follow directions.

Rick opened the back door of the car to make sure Adam was in his car seat. "This is just a minor... Setback... In our plans, that's all?" Evi reassured, sitting in the seat next to Rick. "Minor setback?" Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, a big setback, whatever. Don't tell your parents though!" she turned around, making sure he was listening.

"Are you mad at Uncle John?"

"No! Of coarse not!" she sighed, thinking all the millions of reasons no not ever let him into their house again.

They sat quietly in the car, Evi reading her new Roman history novel, Rick behind the wheel, and Adam taking a nap in the back seat. It wasn't until an ambitious seven year old woke up from his sleep that things began to pick up again. His eyes were full of fear and sadness. Evi saw his face in the rearview mirror and turned around to face him. "What's up?" she asked gently. "I miss mom and dad." he said slowly, his face unbearable. "They'll be back to see you; as soon as we get back with Jonathan."

Adam had to think of something to say fast, for he didn't want to tell his grandma the real reason why his head was spinning around in circles. "Do you still miss them?"

"Miss who?" Evi asked, deciding to play along with one of his jokes.

"Your parents. Do you miss them?" Adam said.

"What?" she said, thinking she missed something he was saying?

"Must I say it again?"

"No, but how do you know about all that?"

"Well," Adam started, ignoring her last question. "I know they miss you." he whispered. Evi was too stunned to say anything. Rick gripped the steering wheel tightly and stared into the foggy mist outside. "Your father.. father..." Adam said, trying to remember the name, "oh yes, Howard, that was his name!" he said. That made Rick slam the brakes, stopping dead in the middle of the street. "What did you say?" Evi muttered, her face paling. Rick remained silent. "And I forgot the other one,"

"Layla." she said, barely above a whisper, as if she hadn't said that word in a while.

"Hmm?"

"Her.. her name was Layla."

"Yes, that's it. She traveled all over the world, and... and... Then your dad got that mummy curse thing and then the plane crash-"

"-you know what? How about you read your book?" Evi said suddenly, closing her eyes. Adam looked at her, startled by the sudden urgness of her voice. He sat back down, staring blankly into the pages. He didn't mean to make her mad; he only wanted to impress her with his smartness.

Evi leaned her head against the cold glass window, and Rick could've swore there was a tear or two running down her cheeks.


	3. Romans and Falcons

They drove through the night, not stopping for anything. "I'm hungry!" Adam sighed, bored out of his mind. "I packed food you know." Evi smirked, obviously over her sadness. "why don't you sleep for a while; it is three thirty AM!" Rick suggested.

"I'm not tired." Adam said stubbornly.

"Well..." Evi said, thinking of something to do with him, "would you like me to tell you about the book I'm reading?"

Adams face lit up with joy. "Romans, right?"

"Yup. It's about a ruthless king, who had all the riches in the world!" she said, over emphasizing the world part. "He kinda reminds me of an old Egyptian friend of mine," she said, glancing at Rick.

"Some friend he was!" he laughed. Evi continued on.

"He and his children lived in the biggest house, and had all the best things! And then, he got sick," she grinned, letting the suspense set in.

"Like a curse?" Adam asked, leaning in.

"Nobody knows. Maybe that's why we're here."

"Oh no, it isn't!" Rick corrected, seeing where the discussion was leading to.

"May I finish the story?" Evi sighed. Rick nodded reluctantly, and the story picked up again. "He died shortly after, and his kids followed him a couple months later,"

"Curse..." Adam whispered. Evi grinned, looked at her husband quickly, and nodded. "Saw that." Rick coughed.

"So, his body was buried deep below the surface, and his riches stayed with him... Forever to this day..." she finished, her voice fading out. "Wow!" Adam breathed, absorbing the new information like a sponge. Out of the corner of his eye, Rick could see the boy let out a giant yawn. "We're almost there big guy." he said, trying to conceal one himself.

A hint of red appeared on the horizon, beaconing the sun from beneath the Earth. Sighs of sheer relief from the dark blue Volkswagen could be heard from miles away. "Are we there? Are we there?" Adam kept on saying.

"Yes. We're here!" Evi finally said.

They got out of the car, looking around the area. "Rick, I thought you said you booked a hotel?" Evi said, staring him in the eye.

"Well... By that I meant to... Um, well around here, this is a hotel!" he stuttered. They were surrounded by tents. Rows and rows of tents, pitched into the rocky dirt. Some of them seemed inhabited, while others buzzed with activity. "I called in a friend, and booked one of these beauties!" he grinned.

"Rick. I'm really not in the mood. Can't we get inside and get some sleep?" Evi sighed.

"Yah, sure. It's the one right in the corner." he sighed.

They entered the small tent, finding two bedrolls and a lamp. "not bad," she rolled her eyes. Adam already had his eye on one of the beds. "call it!" he yelled, putting down his stuff. "Fine, we'll take the other one." Evi said.

"But I wanted that one!" Rick whined.

"now." she glowered at him, "we're going to take it easy for a while; why don't you go out and find someone to play with you," she smiled.

Adam was out the tent door faster than a speeding bullet.

"Well, this has been a great 24 hours, hasn't it?" Evi grinned, putting their things beside the bed. "You could say that again." he said.

"I just... how... Could our grandson possibly know all those things?" she hesitated, speaking Rick's mind. "He's an O'Connell, Evelyn!" Rick said.

"No O'Connell can be that freakishly weird!" she snapped.

"I know it's scary," he whispered.

"This is more than scary Rick! He has something wrong with him!"

"Don't say that too loud." he smiled, "there's been an old Medjai story, about an ancient warrior that could communicate with the other side," he said, seeing his wife's eyes widen. "Are you saying he can talk to dead people?" she yelled, hurriedly quieting down. "Don't attract a crowd." he said, trying to keep her calm. "I never said it was true, I was just stating a story."

"Well, it better not be true, that's for sure!" Evi sighed.

"Think about it; you're Nefertiti, right?" Rick said. Evi nodded hesitantly, and he continued. "I'm a Medjai, your brother... Oh yah, forgot he can't do anything! Anyway, it makes sense!" he said.

"I just want to forget everything that's happened in the past few hours." she sighed. "All those things he said, it made me remember what I felt thirty years ago,"

"Well one thing's for sure, you have me, and I'm not going anywhere!" Rick smiled. "You're right, I am one lucky girl, aren't I?" she smiled, leaning her head down in his lap. "You should probably get some sleep, huh?" Rick asked. He waited for a response from her, but when he looked down at her, she was already fast asleep.

By the time Adam returned back to their tent, his grandparents were shot out on the floor. "Grandpa," he whispered lightly. He kept on snoring, completely oblivious to his calling. "Get up you two!" he shouted, jumping up and down. "I'm up." Rick said, still groggy from the drive. "What do you want?" Evi asked, half asleep.

"I'm back! Aren't you happy?" Adam grinned.

"Sure, whatever. Why don't you just go to sleep or something?" Rick said. Adam lit the lamp next to them, making the room light up with a golden glow. "Turn it off!" Evi and Rick both shouted at him, squeezing their eyes shut to block out the invasive light. He blew it out in a single breath, seeing the single strand of smoke rise above his face. "Sorry!" he whispered, getting into his covers. "Uh, could you scoot over a little bit?" he asked Evi.

"Why, you're so small, just squish yourself in!"

"Squish where? You two are taking up all the dang room!"

"You heard the boy, move over Rick!" she smiled, pushing him to the edge.

"Hey, you got my butt wet!" Rick moaned.

"Good." Evi grinned, lying back down. All three lay there in the dark silence for a moment, before saying their goodnights. "You sleep well, okay? I know you've been through a lot." she whispered, fixing up his curly hair. "Are you still mad at me grandma?" he sighed.

"Now how can I ever be mad at you?" she laughed, quietly, so she wouldn't disturb Rick. He threw her a smile of relief, and turned around to face the tent. "I hope we can find some clues to where my brother is." Evi said, once she was sure Adam was asleep. "Don't worry; he's probably at some bar having the time of his life!" Rick smiled. He leaned forward, and kissed her intently. Five minutes passed by, and Adam was sick of it. "You know, that's really gross!" he said, hiding the hacking he was feeling inside. "What are you talking about? We were just getting to sleep," Evi said, wishing he'd get off her. "If it weren't for me, it would take hours for you guys to 'get to sleep'." he smirked.

"And that's your cue to get some yourself!" Evi said.

"That wasn't a choice question, go to bed!" Rick grumbled.

"Fine, but I'm watching you." he whispered, going back to his bed.

"So..." Rick began, putting his arms around her shoulders. Evi held up her hand, right onto his mouth. "Get to sleep O'Connell." she demanded, turning away from him. "right." he sighed, obviously disappointed.

The watch on Rick's wrist buzzed softly, indicating that it was five o'clock. Adam stirred in his sleep, his head feeling like a a pound of lead. He tossed and turned in his blankets, obviously having a bad dream. Evi and Rick didn't notice though. They seemed to be sleeping peacefully, or as close to peacefully you can get in a three person, raggedy old tent. In Adams mind, he could see clearly a man, with a devilish smirk in his face. The man scared him, how evil he seemed. He squinted his eyes to try and get a better view of him. The man took off his black desert turban to reveal a bald head, not a hair in sight. Adam then instantly knew who the man was. His grandmother told him about the horrible plagues, the resurrection, everything. The man in his dream was Imhotep, the person who dared to betray Pharoh Seti I.

Imhotep stayed where he was, surrounded by fire, trapped in the underworld for eternity. Though he couldn't move towards the boy, he still seemed to be staring right at him, as if wanting to speak to the gifted child. Adam couldn't understand ancient Egyptian very well, but he knew enough to understand what he wanted. Imhotep kept repeating the same thing, "open the casket, open the casket, and reveal what was once mine..."

The more Adam tried resisting the words thrown at him, the more it hurt. "NO, NO, NO!" he cried in his sleep, running as fast as he could in his dream. He saw an angry falcon overhead, swooping down for him. He tried running faster, but it he picked him up, carrying him higher and higher. Then the talons around his arms released, and down he fell.

He jumped up out of his bed, looking around for the bird. The only thing he saw was his grandma covering his mouth and his grandpa shaking him till he came through. "Where's the falcon?" he sobbed, turning around to see if it was there.

"There's no falcon, you're safe!" Evi soothed, holding him close.

"You've been out for seven hours! We thought you'd never get up!" Rick said.

"I had a bad dream." he sighed.

"It must've been pretty bad, considering you're reaction!" Evi laughed.

"So, what's on your mind?" Rick asked.

"Nothing." Adam muttered.

"You sure?" Evi said, looking at him like he was hiding something.

"Yes, I'm sure!" he lied.

"Alright then mister tuff guy, are you ready to get into the car?" Rick said, zipping open the door.

"I guess so," Adam sighed, packing up his things.

"We'll look alongside the road for any sign of him. You two, keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. I'll give you a break and drive for a while, how does that sound?" she asked Rick. "Awesome. Let's get to it then!" Rick grinned. "But first, I'd like to speak to the manager of this place; I have a few complaints about our luxury suite."


	4. The O'Connell's Gain Another Passanger

"When we find him, he's going to be in so much trouble!" Evi muttered, "You know how many times I have to cover for him, or lie him out of a fight?" she asked, flipping open her wallet with one hand. She pulled out a torn picture of her brother, when he was little. He had the goofiest smile, and was holding up a huge fish right next to his face. Adam gasped when he saw the picture. "That's uncle Jonathan?"

"Sure is! It's the only decent picture I have of him." she grinned.

"And by decant, you mean one where he's not beside an angry cop, or surrounded by mobs of furious gamblers?" Rick laughed.

"Yes, unfortunately so." she sighed.

"So what's he doing?" Adam giggled, looking closer to the picture.

"Well, our grandfather took us out on his boat to fish, and... Uh-"

"What?" Adam and Rick both smiled.

"to get his 'big catch' he had to first throw me off the boat, into the water, almost freezing me to death." she sighed, probably not the best memory to share.

"Wow. Every day I learn something new about you." Rick said. "You can imagine the things I did to that boy after I got back onto that boat," she whispered.

"Grandmas told us things about her life, what about you?" Adam asked curiously, wanting to pass the time. Rick leaned back in his seat. "There's nothing to tell." he shrugged.

"Common, everyone's got something they remember!" Adam persuaded, "what about your dad?" he suggested.

"ahh... Well, nothing much, he left when I was ten." he said dryly.

Evi put out her hand for him to hold. "That's horrible, why?" Adam whispered.

"Honestly, I don't know. And I could care less about him now." he said, glaring at his thoughts. Adam thought about what he said. "Well, his loss," Evi whispered, giving him a warm smile. "Look out!" Adam cried, pointing towards the windshield. Evi turned he head back around, to see a huge dog standing in the middle of the road. She slammed the brakes, making the car jolt forward. "You killed him! You killed him!" Adam screamed, opening the door. They ran out to the front of the car to see the dog hiding beneath the car. "See he's not dead!" Evi said, breathing a sigh of relief. Rick laid down, and reached his arms out to the animal. "Come on, just a little closer," he grunted, feeling around for his collar. "He must be a stray." Evi said.

Rick let out a cry, holding up his hand. "it bit me!" he shouted, muttering curse words by the minute. He got up, and got back into the car, slamming the door shut. Evi moved two big steps backwards from the dog. Rick pressed the horn as hard as he could. The dog ran out from the car and hid behind the nearest tree. "You scared him!" Adam cried, running towards him. "Don't!" Evi yelled, going after him. "We don't want him to hurt you!"

"Oh don't be a sissy." he muttered, putting out his hand. The black dog came out quickly, nudging his side. "he likes me!" he laughed, putting his arms around him. "That thing could be rabid or something!" Evi said, glaring at the dogs huge brown eyes. "Common, he's cute!" Adam smiled.

"I don't like dogs." she said, getting up. She got back into the car, and looked at Rick's hand. "Looks pretty bad," she sighed, getting out her purse. "you're lucky," she grinned, pulling out three band aids. "Dinosaur, Spongebob, or princess?" she smiled, showing him each design. "Hmm..." he said, looking over his choices. "I'll have to go with the dinosaur, though princess comes in a close second."

Evi pulled off the plastic covering, and placed it on his hand. She kissed it softly. "All better?" she asked.

"Now it does!"

"Don't worry about my grandparents; they'll warm up to you soon." Adam said to the dog. "Have you ever had a home? Do you like treats?" he asked, as if the dog could hear him. "I'm sure you do. We don't have any though, we barely have enough food for ourselves!" he sighed. "You're the only one at the moment that I can really talk to,"

The dog laid his head on his legs, and closed his eyes. "I'll name you Max!" he grinned. The dog instantly perked up, like he recognized the name. "Oh, I can't leave you here!" Adam said, thinking up a plan. "Here's what we'll do,"

"Grandpa! There's a bear over there!" Adam yelled, pointing towards the sun. "Bear?" Evi and Rick both shouted, unlocking the door.

"I saw it behind that bush!" he added, trying his hardest to keep the act going.

"I don't see any bear." Rick said, moving slowly towards it. While their backs were turned, Adam quietly opened the trunk door, herding Max into the car.

"be careful," Evi whispered. Rick lunged into the bush. There was utter silence for a brief moment, then Rick shouted, and began struggling in the thick brush. "Rick!" Evi yelled, hearing no response.

He stood up, his back towards his wife. "What, are you hurt?" she asked, turning him around. He began laughing, which made Evi scowl. Rick was holding a stuffed bear in his arms. "You're mean!" she said, trying to hide her laughter. "The dinosaurs must've scared him!" she grinned. He handed the brown bear to her, and walked back go the car. "Very funny Adam!" Rick laughed, throwing the stuffed animal back to the trunk. A small yelp came from behind Adam. "What was that?" Evi asked.

"Sorry, just missing M- the dog, that's all!" he smiled.

Max got bored of being stuck in the trunk for almost six hours straight. He began chewing the back of the seat apart. Evi noticed something was up from the minute Adam started stinking up the backseat. "You smell like a sewer!" she said through with a plugged nose. "Sorry... Stepped in something back there!" he said, getting better at winging things. "Were you rolling around with that dog?" she demanded.

"No, why do you say that?" he tried to laugh. Evi got out a can if air freshener and sprayed the whole car down. She was about to open the back door, and Adam had to find a way to stop her. "Hey guess what?" he began suddenly, trying to get her attention. She stopped for a moment and smiled. "What?"

"The sooner we find Uncle John, the sooner we can get home!"

"Okay," she said, turning back to the spray can.

"No!" he shouted.

"Now what?" she sighed.

"Uh..." Adam said, completely out of ideas. He closed his eyes as the peered over to the trunk to see his new friend piled in clumps of fuzz and leather. "Rick, get your butt over here!" Evi shouted.

"Yes dear," he sighed, unbuckling his seat belt. She got out and flipped open the trunk. "Shoo you mutt!" Rick yelled, once he saw half the seat missing.

Max stayed put where he was, perfectly comfortable. "Don't make him leave!" Adam wailed, coming to his aid.

"We can't have a dog following us around Alex!" Evi yelled.

"Alex?" Adam said, confused.

"Adam. Sorry, it's a force of habit."

"Max is my only friend, and I think he can help us!" he persuaded.

"Oh no. Don't name him sweetheart, it'll just make it harder." Evi sighed.

"We need him to help find Jonathan! He can sniff him down or something!" Adam cried, holding onto him tightly. Rick glanced at Evi. "Well, it's worth a shot," he shrugged.

"I still don't like the idea." Evi said, folding her arms.

"Please..." Adam said, doing his last minute resort pouty face.

"Fine. I'll give him one chance." she gave in, turning her attention to the dog. "But one pee stain on any of my things, and you'll be wishing you never crossed that road... Max." she glared.

"Thank you!" Adam cried, throwing his arms around her.

"Okay, okay. But where is he going to sleep?" she asked.

"He can share my seat in the back!" Adam smiled.

"Fine, but no staying up late you two!" Rick said, getting back into the car.

"Did we bring anything of Jonathan's with us?" Evi asked, searching through their clothes. After ten minutes, Rick finally got something. "I must've picked up one of Jonathan's socks by mistake!" he laughed. Evi took the sock from him, and smelt it. "Phew, that sure passed the test!" she laughed, making sure there was at least two feet between her and the stinky sock. She opened the back door, and let Max out for a break. He came back shortly after, instantly catching the scent. "I know it doesn't smell to hot, but can you find him?" she asked the dog.

He turned his head to the left and started to wag his tail. "I guess we can leave the car here." Rick sighed, saying his goodbyes to his 1956 vintage Volkswagen. Max started off towards the sinking sun, determined to successfully sniff out the old jokester with smelly sweat socks. Everyone else followed, first at a jogging pace, then to barely a walk. "Can we take a break Max!" Adam whined, looking like he could fall over any second. Max turned around to wait for his new family. While Rick was getting Adam some water, Evi stared at the sleek, black mastiff looking mix that they've befriended. She almost jumped when his lips curled up into a smile. She stood in front of him, completely immobilized. He nodded his head slowly, and Evi almost smiled herself when she saw him wink.


	5. Trapped

"Rocks over in that corner, leaves by the wall, and the beetles can have the right side of the place." Jonathan grumbled. He had made himself his own little village to pass the time. "Okay, spiders, no eating the poor beetles!" he snapped, flicking away one that was about to pierce its fangs in the creature. "We have to be civilized ladies!" he lectured, "Jessica, that means no bullying the ants!"

He sat in the middle of his fortress, holding a long stick. "Let's get things straight. I am your ruler, your awesome king! Obey my rules, get me food, and do whatever I want, or you'll be eaten." he declared to a bunch of insects. Jonathan must've walked past the sign that said to not touch the purple moss growing on the stone walls. Side affects may include: dry-mouth, constipation, bloating, suicidal or delusional thoughts, stupid actions, and possible bug addictions.

"Three days without food... Who needs food? I've got all my friends right here. Dragonflies, fire ants, spiders, and not the centipedes, they're big fat jerks!" he yelled into the darkness. "What am I talking about? Living in isolation with no women around me is driving me bonkers!" he shouted, destroying his new city of Jonathanburg. "Where did all you critters go?" he wondered, seeing no one in sight. A sudden draft blew over the room, making Jonathan shudder. Out into the eerie darkness, a pair of yellow eyes gleamed as they locked onto its prey.

The moon was shining high in the sky over the O'Connell's heads. "What time is it?" Evi groaned, trying to keep her eyes open.

"Two twenty five." he sighed.

"We can't even see where we're going!" Evi said.

"Tell that to the dog."

"Dog, I mean Max, can we please call it a night and I don't know, sleep?" she called. "Great, now I'm talking to an animal!" she laughed. Rick saw Adam starting to fall forward. He caught him right before he touched the ground, and heaved him over his shoulders. Adam was sound asleep before the sun was completely set. Max stopped at the top of a hill, and laid his head down between his paws. Rick put Adam down next to the fury animal and sat beside his wife. "Do you really think a dog is going to find Jonathan?" she asked, making herself a pillow out of her sweater. "We can only hope!" Rick sighed, "I'm probably going to regret ever saying that."

"There's something different about that dog, but I can't put my finger on it." Evi said, settling herself down in the grass. "it's not like he can talk or anything! It's like he was sent here to help." he said, turning over to Adam.

"Are you sure he should be sleeping with it?" she whispered so they couldn't hear. "Oh common Evi! It's just a dog, not an alien or a weird creature!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Adam tried listening to their conversations, but after a while, he couldn't even hear himself think. He didn't want them to take Max away from him. It seemed whenever he was with him, his nightmares would go away. He knew that his new friend would always be there to protect him from the dangers of the world.

The sun glared downward, already risen in the sky. Max was up before everyone else, so he went over to Evi and put his face up to hers. His breath shook her awake in an instant. "What's that horrible-" she yelled, jumping when she saw his doggy smile an inch from her face. "Get off!" she shouted, pushing his giant body off hers.

"He's just saying good morning!" Adam giggled.

"Well you can tell him that if he does that again, I'll chase him with a vacuum cleaner!" she snapped, "and he needs a mint."

She looked down at her watch to see the time. "It's already ten!" she gasped, shaking Rick awake. "What?" he mumbled, shielding his eyes.

"How could we sleep in so long?" she said.

"What's that?" Adam asked, pointing to the bag flapping in the wind.

"Wait, that's Jonathan's!" Evi cried, going over to pick it up. She opened it to reveal a half eaten sandwich and a rusty old quarter. "We must be on the right track!" Rick exclaimed, looking around.

"I'll say!" Adam said, looking at what Max was doing. He was standing right in front if the entrance to the underground rooms. "Ancient catacombs," Evi breathed, peering into the darkness. "Phew, that reeks!" she gasped, holding her nose.

"All the death lying around really brings out the exquisite fragrances!" Rick laughed, "So this underground place, does it have treasure, or not, because walking all the way here isn't really worth it if there isn't any."

Evi turned her head around and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. This place has money." she smiled, "why else would my brother be here?"

"Point taken." he laughed, "so when we get out of here, we'll have enough money to buy this whole country and China to go with it?"

"Don't get your hopes up. Nicolas had most his riches buried with his body!"

"His dead, most likely cursed, body."

"Like you would know," Adam smirked.

"And thus, opening his tomb won't only bring him back to life, but also release a horrible curse of biblical proportions." Rick sighed. "So are we going to go in or not?" Adam snapped, growing tired of the curse talk. "only if the dog stays on that side." Evi said. Max gave her a sad stare with his big eyes. "Not going to work," she sighed. He went up to her and brushed her side. "Fine fine I give!" she laughed, "don't think this makes us friends or anything."

"I think he likes you..." Rick whispered.

"You're going to have to try harder than that," Evi muttered, walking away.

"Wait- what?" he cried, catching up to everyone else.

When Jonathan opened his eyes, he was lying on a cold, stone floor. The room he was in was completely barren, none of his townsfolk in sight. He stood up, only to find there was no way of escape. The door was sealed with a giant padlock. "Get me out of here!" he wailed, shaking the wire gates violently. Jonathan squinted his eyes, and saw a light glow of a fire. He couldn't see anyone in sight. Then, Jonathan remembered his Christmas present from his old buddy Acalan. A 6 G IPhone from the twenty fifth century. His let his eyes august to the glow, then gave his family a quick text. A message popped up indicating that the connection was very poor. He kept on trying, again and again, until the red battery at the top right hand corner beeped loudly. "shh!" he snapped, banging his phone with his hand. After a few more seconds of warning signals, the screen turned to black with a sudden click. "Whew! Glad that's over!" he laughed.

"Quiet prisoner!" a sudden voice shouted from an unknown location. His face pressed up against the door, and he seemed to be enjoying himself with the torment. "Who are you?" Jonathan managed to say, once he got up the nerve to speak. "I think the real question is, who are _you_!" he snapped back.

"Hey I asked you first!" Jonathan said, backing away from the door.

"If you must know, my partners and I are going to be the first people to discover the Tsar Nicolas's treasure!" he laughed, "and let me guess, you're hoping to leave this place filthy rich!"

"Uh, no, coarse not! I'm just a local, wandering around..."

"Silence!" three more voices shouted. The keys jangled from one of their pockets, and slowly, the knob turned to the side. The room was filled with an eerie silence, one that made Jonathan reconsider running for king next year.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Adam whispered, scared to break the silence. "When the Europeans first came to Egypt, they could only rely on their gut instinct." she replied, feeling the walls for direction.

"That just a complicated way of saying you have no idea where you're going and we're all hopelessly lost." Rick laughed.

"Okay we're lost, happy now?" she snapped.

"We can't hardly see anything!" Adam said, holding onto his grandfather's hand. "We have no torches, no light, absolutely nothing!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Rick said, digging in his pockets. He pulled out his own IPhone, and checked his messages. "Who's it from?" Evi asked.

"Jonathan!" he laughed.

"Read it, read it!" Adam shouted, peering his head over the screen.

"It says, hep me, with twenty exclamation marks, my bugz r all alone without a boss making sure they don't get eaten, and don't touch purple moss." he said.

"Just as usual, I only understood half," Evi sighed. "So he's really in trouble," Rick grumbled. "That's score thirty three for the wife, and the husband is still... at... zero." she smiled. "Don't worry, you'll get there someday."

She pulled out her cell phone, and turned the brightness up to the full amount. "That's better!" she said, peering around a corner. Max ran ahead and sniffed around the area. He picked up a ratty bag with his mouth, and carried it over to Adam. "What ya got?" he asked, taking it from him.

"It's a map!" Evi gasped, grabbing it from his hands.

"Hey!" he cried, struggling to retrieve it back. She held it up above her head, and tried reading it. "Okay calm down!" Rick said, holding him steady.

"It's a map to the treasure," she said, pointing out all the individual rooms.

"Do you think it's Jonathan's?" Rick said.

"It can't be, see, this map has everything labeled properly!" Evi laughed.

"Who else is down here?" Rick wondered.

"I don't know, but whoever they are, Jonathan's with them!"

"Hold 'em tight boys." Bobby Hernandes instructed, showing him his jagged teeth. "Okay fellas, what are you going to do with me?" Jonathan asked, trying to breathe out of his nose to save himself from the deathly odor looming in the air. "If we let you go, you'll tell people about this place. We can't let that happen." Bobby snarled.

"Common, Bobby, Jack, big, strong, extravagant smelling boys, can't we just call it a night?" he tried to reason with the thieves. "not a chance pal!" Jack laughed. "throw him in the pitt!" Bobby yelled. The two other men picked him up, and dragged him to the giant room. A ragged old ladder stretched twenty feet above an endless drop of blackness. "You mean that pit, down there." Jonathan laughed hesitantly.

"Yes, that's the one!" Bobby smiled.

"That's what I was afraid of."

"Jack, where did you put my bag?" Bobby said, nudging his companion in the arm. "I didn't put it anywhere." he shrugged.

"We need that map!" he snapped.

"Wait- do you hear that?" Jack said, holding his breath.

"Voices." Bobby whispered. "We're not alone,"


	6. Death Threats

Out of the unforgiving silence, Carrie Underwood's newest song cut through the air. Rick and Adam held their ears shut automatically, yelling, "Turn it off!" over and over.

Evi swiped her finger across the screen and looked at her husband apologetically. "Sorry!" she whispered, putting the phone to her ear.

"Hello? Oh, Alex, it's you!" she said, trying to sound as happy as can be.

"Hey mom, how's my little boy doing?" Alex asked, right in the middle of playing shuffleboard on the sky deck. "Uh, fine, okay, great, we're having so much fun!" she chuckled, "enough about him, how are you holding things in the Caribbean?"

"Okay, our suite is amazing, and- wait; I know what you're doing! Where are you and where's Adam?" he demanded.

"Oh he's studying!" Evi said, signaling to the boy. "Here he is now!"

Adam grabbed the phone, and thought about what he was going to say. "Hi daddy!" he grinned, "yes, grandmas doing great! We're having a delightful time playing chess by the fire-"

"-it's only three o'clock there, and your grandma just said you were studying." Alex sighed, "What's up?"

Jonathan's shouting for help came up through the receiver. "What was that?" Alex snapped.

"Uh... checkmate! Got to go!" Adam yelled, handing the phone back to Evi.

"I swear, whatever you're doing, if Adams involved in one of you crazy peoples schemes-"

"Yes, you have fun now, say hi to your wife for me!" Evi said, hurriedly trying to turn off the phone.

"You're dead to me!" he cried.

"Okay bye!" she smiled, ending the call, cutting off Alex's death threats.

"Glad that's over!" Rick sighed.

Evi's heart almost skipped a beat when Bobby came out from the shadows. He grabbed Adam, and ran off towards the pit of evilness. Ricks pistol shot out from his back pocket, but was knocked out of his hands by Jack. The two other men had Evi and Rick under control after a matter of minutes. "Adam!" Evi cried. She, along with Rick, was struggling with the ropes tied too tightly around them. "Uncle John!" Adam yelled, happy to see him alright. "Everything's going to be fine." he muttered. He changed his mind once he looked down into the despair and agony that lasted what looked like thousands of feet. "Wait. What about the dog?" Evi whispered over to Rick.

"Hiding somewhere, probably drinking his own pee." he replied.

"Quiet you two!" Jack shouted, flicking the back of their heads.

"Hey!" Evi shouted back, "you don't want to know what happens to people who flick Evelyn O'Connell in the head! Just ask the fifty seven year old man to your left, the one with the wet pants."

Bobby went over to her, and looked her in the eye. "You know what happens to witty old women who try my patience?" he muttered, pulling out his loaded gun.

"That's all you got?" she smiled, "not like I haven't seen that one before!"

"You're not scared of me? I'm a killer for heavens sake!" he yelled, "and I have you tied up, I can flick you whenever I want to!"

"Do you know who I am?" Evi asked.

"She's-"

"-Rick, let me finish!" she barked at him, turning her attention back to Bobby. "I don't know how many gigabytes your brain can store, but I'll try to keep it simple. I am an Egyptian legend! My daddy, the Egyptian one anyway, was a Pharaoh, and I am the protector of-"

"-please! Enough!" Bobby shouted. "jack, get the boy over here!" he commanded. "You've got nerve sister." he muttered.

"Throw him in the pit!"

"No!" Rick and Evi screamed. That's when she noticed the knife sticking out of Jacks back pocket. She leaned forward, and slowly pulled it out. Jack was too busy picking out the best weapon of choice. "Isn't the guy supposed to untie himself first, then rescue his damsel in distress?" Rick questioned. "Not in this fairy tale. I have to take matters into my own hands." she whispered, frying off the last of the ropes around her wrists.

"So what am I supposed to do? Sit here and keep the seat warm?" he said with a hint of sarcasm. "If you're good, I'll tell people you saved my life and carried me away in your imaginary horse drawn carriage."

Evi sat quietly in her chair, waiting for just the right time. Her eyes locked onto Bobby, his fat hands binding Adams legs with more rope. Then, his back turned, and Evi sprang into action. Rick turned his chair over, knocking it over Jacks head. He fell down with a thud, instantly out of the game. Evi did her famous 'Nefertiti punch', as she named it, freeing Adam from his grasp. He ran over to Jonathan and helped him. Bobby tried fighting back, but he was no match to the woman that brought Imhotep down to his knees. She threw her arms around his flabby waist, bringing him down to the damp, rocky floor. When he got up, Evi was right in front of him, and slugged him in the face. He staggered backward, holding his bleeding, and possibly broken nose. "Now what was that? About being old and witty?" she whispered.

"Nothing, now please let me go!" he cried.

"It's not that easy. Tell me who's boss here." she smiled, loving the torture.

"uh, I'm guess you are." he muttered.

"Well, I have a weakness when it comes to killing people, so I'll tell you what. I'll let you and maybe those guys beat it out of here with only a broken arm, or leg, I can do either one."

"What?" he stammered, clinging to the wall. Rick came to her aid, holding him still. "Breaking bones is my specialty." she smiled, pulling his arm backward. "Now this might sting a bit." she whispered, cracking it backwards. Rick cringed at the horrible noise. "You are good at that!" Rick complemented.

"Thank you! I do try." she grinned, shoving Bobby away to the exit. "Tell your friends!" she yelled after them.

"Witch-craft! She's has dark magic!" he shouted, leaving tiny drops of blood behind him. "Wow, didn't know you had it in you!" Rick smiled.

"Neither did I." she sighed, "do you think my hair looks alright?"

"You look fine."

"Adrenaline makes my hair look like crap!" she sighed, "and I ran out of that perfume you like!"

"Whoa, can we get back to the problem here folks?" Adam sighed, looking around. "Where's Max?" he cried suddenly, as if he didn't know he was gone before. "Who?" Jonathan asked, feeling left out of the conversation.

"And you!" Evi said, strolling over to him, "we were worried about you!" she gave him a hug. "I had a feeling you were in trouble. And what kind of idiot do you think you are to think you could go out here alone?" she demanded, slapping him in the face. "But, at the same time, you gave me the chance to visit Russia." she contradicted with herself. "And by doing so, you endangered our grandson!" she gave him another slap.

"Okay, I'm very confused here!" he shouted, cutting her off.

"Look, I know I messed up. But can we just focus on getting the treasure?" he sighed. "fine." she groaned, pulling out the map. "Nicolas's tomb is right down that way. Looks like we have to cross this bridge to get there."

"This one?" Rick asked, putting a small amount of weight onto the first board. It creaked, then broke off and fell into the blackness. "I say we don't." he folded his arms. "Oh common, don't you want to see what's over there?" Evi complained.

"I'm actually with her on this one." Jonathan agreed.

"Max says he'll come soon, and he wants to check it out too!" Adam piped, walking over to him. "I don't think Max-" Evi started, before turning her head to see the black dog run over to his master's side. "Okay then, we need a plan."

"Who needs a plan? All I need is all that money!" Jonathan grinned, starting across the bridge. "Um, I don't think that's a great idea." Rick called.

"What are you talking about?" he laughed, almost half way there. "Watch out for that loose one!" Evi shouted. Before Jonathan could understand what she was saying, he fell through, holing himself up with his arms. "Gotta start avoiding bacon and all the laziness!" she sighed.

"Shut up and help me!" he struggled, kicking his legs around. "This thing won't hold up all three of us!" Rick sighed, "But maybe you could..."

"Not going to happen!" Evi laughed, "the only one that could possibly go out there is..." she turned around and looked at Adam. "How much do you weigh, seventy pounds?" she asked.

"Not until you tell me how much you weigh!" he laughed.

"Okay, new plan!" she glared at her grandson. "How about the dog?" Rick suggested, kicking Max forward. He stared hesitantly at Jonathan. "Save his butt and I'll buy you a new chew toy on the way back." Evi whispered. Max perked his ears up, and started off on his way. When he made it to Jonathan, he clamped his teeth around his shirt collar. He dragged him all the way across the bridge, and to the other side. Jonathan looked up with wide eyes, staring at the four thousand year old sarcophagus right in front of him.

Jonathan stared, open mouthed at the dusty old case. "Well..." Adam said, "Are you going to open the thing, or stare at it?"

"Oh yes, I guess so." he sighed struggling to slide the lid off.

"Please!" Adam said, pulling it open with ease.

"Sometimes these things form a seal, just, loosening it up for you." he mumbled, trying to hold onto the last shred of pride he had inside. Adam turned his giggles into a shocked, grim face. "He looks so... old." he whispered. Jonathan nodded silently, like he was thinking the exact same thing. "What's that?" Adam said, picking up the weathered piece of stone in his hands. His eyes popped out of his head when he read the inscription engraved on the artifact. "This... This is what he wanted." Adam whispered, clutching it coldly. "Who wanted what?" Jonathan moaned, looking around for the treasure. "The bald dude, in my dream!" Adam replied annoyingly, digging deep into his mind.

"Okay now I'm really lost!" Jonathan muttered.

"IMHOTEP, that's who!" Adam shouted, startling his grandparents on the other side. "What?" they yelled back, aching to see the mummy. "He told me in his dream, he wants me to read this thing and bring him back to life!" he said, racking his brain for answers. "well that has an easy solution!" Jonathan laughed, grabbing the stone. He threw it onto the floor, breaking it in half. "See? All over with!" he whipped his hands on his shirt. "You idiot! Do you know what that thing could do? Now it's gone forever!" Adam screamed, knowing something bad was about to come. "If I have to come over there boys, it won't be pretty!" Evi shouted.

Max looked down at the broken pieces in horror, then growled at Jonathan.

"Nice fluffy thing..." he muttered, backing away slowly. Then, the dog froze, and ran back across the bridge. "Where are you going?" Adam cried, feeling really uncertain about what was about to come next. A breeze swept across the caravan, carrying any hope with it. "Now I can see why you might blame me for this," Jonathan said, but nothing could distract them from the open sarcophagus. A moldy hand rose up from inside, grasping only the thin air around it. Jonathan grabbed Adams hand, and booked it for the exit. He'd been through it all too often. The two of them tore across the bridge, running as fast as they possibly could. They were all out of the room before the ancient creature could take his first breath.


	7. Jonathan Meets an Old Friend

"Let's find a way out of here!" Rick yelled.

"We can't leave! We need to stop him!" Adam said, pulling on his shirt.

"Well I'm leaving!" Jonathan huffed, walking away.

"You're the one that brought a walking, talking bag of bandages back to life!" Adam shouted behind his back. "That's not my problem now, isn't it?" he laughed scornfully. "Oh please you two!" Evi snapped, "Let's try not to panic here, okay?"

"There's a killer on the loose and you want to stay calm?" Rick shouted, just adding to the panic process. "We don't even know what he wants from us!" Adam cried, "I don't wanna have my eyes ripped out by a mummy!"

"You told him the story, huh?"

"Probably not the best idea, I know."

"Look, I know how this thing ends! We ambush him, then run out of the place and go on with out lives!" Jonathan snapped, "And that's not my idea of fun! I'm going home, and pretending that this never happened!"

"Jonathan! You can't leave!" Evi cried, anger rising inside her.

"Oh yah? Watch me!" he laughed, turning around.

"The only reason we're here, you're alive, is because we care about you!"

"I appreciate you saving me in all, but I really just... Need to get away from all this."

"Jonathan," Evi whispered, starting for him. Rick held her arm gently, and nodded slowly towards his brother in law. "You can't just let him leave!" she argued.

"If he wants to go, he can go." he shrugged.

"Uncle John!" Adam cried. He turned around expecting to see his usual off set face smiling down at him, like he always did after cracking a joke. Adams face turned sour when he was no where to be found.

He was long gone, lost forever in the shadows.

"You take Adam with you to find a way out of here, and I'll deal with 'bloody Nicholas down there." Rick instructed.

"But I want to go with you!" Adam said, still sad about his favorite uncle leaving. "Don't worry. Jonathan can deal with things on his own!" Evi comforted, laughing inside at her own lie. "And why can't we all ambush the mummy?" she added coldly.

"Because you two need to stay safe, that's why!" Rick sighed.

"Fine. But don't hurt yourself out there." Evi whispered.

"What about Max? Who's he going with?" Adam complained, obviously the only one who cared for him at the moment. "I forgot about the dog!" Rick smiled, "he can protect you."

"That's sweet." Evi grinned, feeling pulled by an imaginary string towards him. Then she remembered Adam was with them. "Um... Why don't you see what your little decedent on the god of the underworld is doing?" Evi grinned suspiciously. Adam shrugged. "Fine, I'll take my time..." he slowly backed out of the room, glad they sent him out this time. Rick pulled his wife closer, and wondered how he could possibly have lived without her. They got in a last minute goodbye kiss before Max interrupted them. "Great, you found him." Evi sighed.

"Wait, if we have Max, then you'll be all alone out there!" Adam said.

"I'm Rick O'Connell! I don't need help from anyone!" he smiled.

"Not buying it Grandpa." he smirked.

"And only Evelyn O'Connell is allowed to say her name like I'm referring to the third person in this family!" she glared.

"Of course dear." Rick muttered, trudging away back to where they last saw him. "So where are we going grandma?" Adam asked, once Rick was out of sight. "That's a really good question!" she laughed.

"I think Max wants to go that way." he pointed to the left hallway. "That's crazy!" she said, "we already went that way, and there was nothing!"

"But Max knows there's something there!" Adam whined.

"And how do you know that?"

"I... I don't know! I can just feel it!"

"Well... Okay, if fur-ball here really wants to."

They started down the corridor, having little vision of where they were going.

"See I told you two! Nothing!" Evi laughed, turning back around.

"Wait!" Adam cried, looking at Max. "You know that story you were telling us last week?"

"Which one?"

"The one about the tongue being ripped out." he shuddered.

"Oh yes, that memory still haunts me."

"Well, you told us you triggered at trap door,"

"Yes... Your point?"

"In your book, it said something about Russians and Egyptians thinking alike in their architectural ways."

"Are you saying there's something out here we aren't seeing?"

"Yes. I think there's a trap door somewhere around here." Adam concluded, feeling smarter than usual. He began feeling around the walls, pushing at his seven year old hardest. Evi eventually joined in, feeling left out of the work. When they got to the end of the wall, Adam could see a tiny inscription. The same one that was on the stone Jonathan destroyed a few hours back. They both pushed together, making the wall slide to the side. Adam peered inside, and backed his head out quickly, shaking it like he was hallucinating. For inside the secret room lay millions and millions of rows of pure gold.

Rick peered around the corner to see the bridge completely broken down. It hung, defeated, swallowed by the darkness. What he didn't see though, was the mummy. He had no way of getting to his tomb. Seeing no intimate danger, Rick looked down at the pit. _The mummy had to be down here,_ he thought. He saw Jacks tool kit, and smiled. All the things he needed to get down there was in that bag. "idiot." he smirked. Rick pulled out the rope, knotted it to a nearby rock, and threw the other side down, watching it disappear. "Evi didn't think I could do it!" he said to himself, clipping a leather harness to the hooks. He lowered himself down, borrowing his old friend Bobby's headlamp. "He won't be needing it anytime soon."

Turns out, Rick was right about Nicholas being below in the darkness. Before he got there though, Nicholas was hard at work with his own problems. To complete his goal of world domination, he requested help from his family. He entered the burial tombs, where his three children laid. "Wake up, my children." he said in perfect Russian, "your father is here."

The ground shook slightly, and the chests rattled in their place. The dark figures rose up silently, and bowed their heads in respect. "rise." he nodded.

"We can all have the riches of the world." they smiled greedily.

"Yes, but before we can do that, we have to get rid of that pesky family!"

"But not the boy. His powers are too great to be wasted." Nicholas sighed, "We also need that stone!"

"But it was broken!" one of the kids argued.

"Not another word from you, or I'll ground you for another four thousand years!" he snapped, "and just because it was broken, doesn't need it doesn't still work."

Jonathan made it out of the catacombs, trying to push aside the sour feelings he felt inside. He tried not to imagine Adam all alone, in the darkness, or his sister fighting a mummy that he brought back to life. _Maybe this is the end of the world, but I'm still going to get me a drink!_ he smiled at his thought. He had located a nearby bar only a few miles from the site on his IPhone (the battery was solar re-chargeable) and entered the room with a heavy heart. "Just a shot of bourbon, that's all," he sighed to the waiter. He grunted reluctantly, and slid the drink across the table. A man opened the door, making the bell jingle. He looked like he'd been though a rough day too. The man sat next to Jonathan, and signaled for a plain beer. "Tough time?" Jonathan sighed.

"Ah, just some family issues, sometimes I just wish I could get away from all this."

"You have no idea." Jonathan muttered.

"So what's on your mind?" he asked.

"You wouldn't understand..."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that!" the man laughed, taking off his hat.

"Izzy?" Jonathan yelped, banging his drink on the table.

"I can't get through ONE week without meeting any of you disturbed people!" he grinned, "let me guess, another one, huh?"

"How did you guess?"

"Things've been too quiet these days." Izzy sighed, "and if you haven't noticed, the weather outside is pretty scary!"

"What are you talking about? It was fine when I showed up!"

"Same old Jonathan!" Izzy muttered, pulling the blinds away from the smudgy window. The sky was a dark black as it spit baseball sized hail down to the ground. "Wow, must've missed that." Jonathan said to himself.

"So where's the rest of the mummy-slingers?"

"Uh... They're kinda still inside."

"You mean you left your sister and your adorable nephew in the catacombs?" Izzy shrieked, "What kind of person are you?"

"I'm sorry! I panicked! It's just one of my many charms."

"One of many, pal." Izzy laughed, "But you can't just sit here sipping vodka all your life! They need you Jonathan; you know they can't do it without you."

"ehh... Are you sure I can't sit here and drink boos?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" Izzy snapped, "Here, take my number if you get into any trouble along the way."

"Thanks, you're a real friend." Jonathan grinned, filling up his drink. "By the way, what kind of family issues are you going through?"

"My mother kicked me out of the house and threatened to call the police on me."

"Same old Izzy, a bruised dignity and free willed mind, and nothing to show for it."

"Hey. My blimp is a work in progress!" Izzy said defensively.

Jonathan got up, and held his beer bottle up proudly. "I know what I must do."

"That's the Jonathan I know!"

"But first, another drink!"


	8. True Heroes

Evi and Adam gaped at the marvelous bounty of gold and jewels. "This is more than old Imhotep could ever get!"

"Too bad Uncle John left so soon." Adam laughed. "Just the right time, before he could wreak everything."

Max seemed to be enjoying the treasure as much as they did. He bounced around playfully, turning every corner to find more and more gold. "What should we do?" Adam said, once he got up the nerve to speak. "I suppose we should go gloat to your grandfather, he'll be so proud of me... I mean us!" she grinned, swiveling around and getting back to the secret door.

Adam looked at her, then to Max. "I don't think he wants to leave yet." he said. "Well, tell him to move his furry butt over here!" she laughed sarcastically, calling Ricks phone. As she finished dialing the number, a low growl came from the opposite end of the room. Evi froze, and immediately dropped the phone. Three wolves came out of the shadows, approaching Max with no caution. "We need to get out of here... Now." she muttered, backing towards the door. Adam seemed ten times more scared than she was. "Max kill them!" he screamed, running for his protection.

The wolves charged forward, and went straight for the small human. Max bared his teeth, and directed their attention towards the shaggy ragtag of a dog. Evi went over, and helped Adam up. They went to the door, only to see the door sealed shut. "What?" they both shouted, panic rising in the air. Adam flipped around to see Max already yelping out in pain. "We have to do something!" he cried, struggling in his grandmas arms. "Uh.. Here!" she said, picking up a jewel from the pile. She threw it at one of the ferocious animals, bouncing off harmlessly. All it did was draw attention from Max to them. "oops." she whispered.

"That was smart Nefartiti." Adam giggled. It quickly disappeared when the wolves' eyes darted at him. "Now what?" he demanded.

"Run, that's what!" she shouted, jumping over the gold. Adam followed her and him by carnivorous beasts. The room erupted into barks, screams, and the clinking of coins against dirt.

"Um- helllo? Evi?" Ricks voice was droned out by all the commotion. "What's all the noise over there? Where's Adam? Where are you? Please don't kill yourselves!"

Rick put down the phone, face full of confusion. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised!" he laughed. He was already down to the bottom, after hours of a steady decent. Rick thought about calling his wife back, but he assumed she could handle things on her own. _I'll be regretting that later!_ he thought.

Unclipping his harness, he peered through the darkness. A little too quiet for his sake. Out of the darkness, the three children popped out, looking like they've been asleep for more than a thousand years. "Woa!" Rick jumped, pulling out his gun(s) from their holsters. Banging of bullets filled the air, but, like any other mummy, couldn't be vanquished that easy. It was three powerful, undead beings against one human. But, unlike other humans, Rick had been through these things three times before. He grabbed a sword from his back pocket and began hacking away at the creatures. Nothing seemed to happen to them. It looked as if no amount of force could bring them down. The undead decedents of the great king had Rick under their control after a long period of struggling. Nicholas came into the scene, smiling coldly at his children's work. "Well done!" he said, "I wasn't expecting you to have the idiot tied up before I got here!"

Evi kicked the hundred fifty point beast off her body, hurling the wolf against the wall. It lay still for a moment, long enough for Adam to prop a chair up over him, trapping the wolf in its spot. "Two down, one to go." Evi breathed heavily, having done most of the work herself. "What's that?" Adam whispered, reaching for a gun poking out beneath the treasure. Evi grabbed it quickly, and pulled the trigger. The last wolf fell over on his side, blood trickling from his chest. "Well, that was certainly fun!" Evi laughed, slumping down in a chair made of solid gold. "Grandma!" Adam shouted, pointing to the farthest wall. "Oh come on!" she groaned, "just one minute!"

Adam went over, and hurriedly tried pulling her up. "You have to see this!"

She reluctantly stood up, and began following her grandson to the back of the room. "What now?" she groaned.

"Right over there." he sighed.

Evi opened her eyes to see a wall of pure gold, covered with different inscriptions. Her eyes suddenly lit up with interest. "Russian is kinda rusty for me to read." she breathed, trying to decipher the message. "What's it say?" Adam said, dying to know its secrets. Evi blew out a sigh of frustration, and got out her book she'd been reading. "Oh my goodness!" she shouted, "this talks about our friend, how he died!"

"Stop calling our enemies friends!" Adam said annoyingly.

"That stone you were talking about! That's how you kill him, the rock has the answers!" she said triumphantly.

"Too bad Jonathan broke it." Adam reminded her.

The wolves, still trapped by the door, began to whine uneasily, like something was coming. "I don't feel good about this." Adam whispered, "They don't feel good about this."

As soon as he said that, the ground beneath them buckled. "Exit. Now." Evi muttered, grabbing his arm. He hurriedly got Max onto his feet, although he was still tired from the fight. Before they could reach the door, everything collapsed. The three of them, plus the wolves and the treasure, fell down into the darkness...

...and right onto the very spot Nicholas, his children, and Rick were standing. The powerful mummy didn't even see it coming. Pieces of gold rained from the sky, clinking onto the stone. The five of them looked up to see two humans, plus a dog, screaming like there was no tomorrow. Rick moved forward, just in time to catch his wife. Adam fell on one of the mummy kids, apparently knocking the poor creature out. He got up instantly, and caught Max before he reached the ground.

Nicholas got up, and brushed the debris off him. "you dare think you can stop me?" he demanded, going for Rick and Evi. "Yes, actually I do!" she said, trying to make her voice sound intimidating. "You do?" Rick asked, looking at her like she was crazy.

"No, but are you gonna tell him that?"

"Yah, we've got something that will knock you dead!" he went along with her theory.

Nicholas looked at them skeptically. He turned to his kids, and muttered in Russian, "as my old high school buddy Imhotep always says, destroy them!"

They lurches forward, full of a new, evil energy. Rick put a protective hand over Adam, preparing for the worst. Before they could get to them though, the three of them froze. For standing on the highest rock, was Jonathan Carnahan. Not only was he back, but we was also holding the pieces of the stone. "Jonathan!" Evi cried, "I knew you would come back!"

"Get him." the mummy ordered, scowling at the uninvited visitor.

"I found it! I found it!" Jonathan yelled, so happy of his success.

"Great, now run!" Rick yelled in return.

"Yes, right. Be right with you!" he gasped at the raggedy creatures climbing below him. "Aren't you ladies the fairest of them all?"

"Not now Uncle Jonathan!" Adam shouted. Jonathan made a b-line to his left, jumping off the rock. "Catch you later!" he laughed back at the confused mummies. He soon reached his family, and reluctantly gave up the stone to Adam. Evi went over to his brother, and gave him a hug. "I just knew you'd come back!" she smiled.

"How could I ever leave you guys?" he laughed.

"We had our doubts." Rick grinned. "But it's good to have you back buddy."

"And you found the stone!" Evi gasped, "Where did you find it?"

"I just entered the catacombs, and there it was! Just sitting there, broken in half, but there!" Jonathan sighed.

"It's the broken in half part that bothers me." Evi said.

"Anyone have any monster glue on them?" Adam giggled.

"Sorry, ran out." Rick grumbled.

Adam stared hard at Max, then lit up. "I have a plan! Or, Max does anyway." he said. "Grandpa, you just need to keep him distracted."

Rick laughed, looking at his wife. "My speciality!"

"What kind of plan do you have in mind?" Evi narrowed her eyes.

"We just need some time, that's all!" Adam said.

"What about me?" Jonathan asked.

"I can't fight three mummies by myself, now can I?" Rick grinned. He grabbed his hand, and took off towards the mummy. Max followed them, leaving Adam alone with Evi. "Wait!" he called after his dog. "I think he wants to go." Evi put a hand on his shoulder. He picked up the two pieces of the stone, and tried putting them together. "It's fits!" he yelled, holding it up.

"But how does it work?" Evi sighed.

"I have no idea!" he looked at it curiously.

"Hey you big bag of bandages!" Rick instantly got the evil rulers attention. He pulled out a curved battle sword, probably from a defeated Medjai. It seemed to glow red with an evil power no Medjai would've ever possessed.

Seeing the deathly weapon made Jonathan rethink the whole saving the world thing. "Can't I just cheer you on?" he asked wearily to his brother in law. Rick glanced back at his wife, his one and only grandson, and knew what he had to do. "Step one of being a Mdjai," Rick smiled. "Never back away from your enemy."

The room seemed to stand still; the air loomed thickly around them. Then, with a familiar and powerful yell, Rick O'Connell charged. Jonathan eventually followed his lead, along with Max.

"Soon you will feel how horrible it is to feel death around your shoulders." Nicholas smile wickedly. Rick didn't have a clue what the undead man was saying, but he didn't like it one bit.

He quickly dodged the blazing sword as it crashed into the stone wall. Nicholas pulled and pulled at his weapon, but it wouldn't budge. Seizing his chance, Jonathan plowed his foot into his back, only to find that to be stuck inside his body. "this is the weirdest thing that I have ever encountered!" he shouted for everyone to know. The mummy turned around, and shook him off angrily. Jonathan was tossed like a bag of potatoes onto the ground. "nice going." Rick growled, having to save his life once again. Nicholas merely threw him over his back and let him fall onto Jonathan. He rose up his sword, preparing for the kill. Max came up behind the mummy, and barked furiously. Hearing this, Adam got up and went to his side. "No Adam!" Evi shouted, taking his arm. "This is his fight."

Max turned his head up so his eyes matched his opponents. But instead of barking, he did something else. "leave the mortals be, evil king! This lies between you and me." he said in perfect Egyptian. Adam's face froze. "You can talk?"

Max turned his head back to his master, and smiled. "Yes my master. You have been the only one that understood my true power, you are a real friend." he said, now in English.

Evi looked into the dogs eyes, full of a new understanding. "Horus?" she whispered. Max nodded slowly. "I thank you too, Princess Nefertiti."

Adam cracked a grin. "I'm friends with a god!" he smiled. "I told you he was special."

"You must finish putting the stone together! Only then will my task here on this earth will be fulfilled." Max, or Horus, instructed.

"But... How do we do that?" Evi whispered to her grandson. Adam kept looking at his dog. "I think I know a way." he smiled. Adam picked up one piece of the stone, and fingered it in his hands. Much to Evi's surprise, the half stone began to glow, its power twisting around the Russian hieroglyphics. "What did you do?" Evi gasped.

"I don't know! I just touched it and thinked about it!" Adam shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes I forget you're only seven." Evi smiled. "Um, dog God, we got half of it to glow!"

Horus looked back behind him, and replied, "Only the chosen one can fuse the sacred stone and use its power."

"Am I the chosen one? Am I?" Adam smiled from ear to ear.

"Yes, you are." Horus nodded.

"I grow tired of your lingering, Horus!" Nicholas snapped.

"Before you two do that, might I ask why you hate each other?" Jonathan sighed, so bored he was chewing his own nails. "Tsar Nicholas II was one of my trusted keepers of the stone five thousand years ago. It was my duty to see that the stones power only be used for good, never evil. He betrayed me and attempted to steal the stone. He succeeded, but before he got away, I cursed him so he could never use the stone for its potential." Horus glared at his enemy. "and now you will pay for what you did to me!" the mummy shouted, running for him. Horus jumped up, and landed on his back, baring his teeth. "hurry, put the stone together! I cannot hold him back forever!"

Rick jumped up, having to get more fighting out of his system "common Jonathan, let's go save the day!" he dragged him to his feet. "I'm good right here, thank you!" he grumbled.

"Jonathan!" Evi shouted, signaling him over to her. "Now what?"

"Hold this while I look for the other piece."

"You lost it?" he laughed.

"I haven't lost it! I just can't find it! There's a difference!" she stuck out her tongue at her brother. "Where'd it go?" Adam said, searching blindly on the ground. Adam sat up, shook by a sudden heat wave. He touched his head, it feeling very hot to the touch. "Use your powers" a voice rung in his mind. Adam looked over at Max, who was still fighting viciously with their evil mummy friend. "Use your gift, your mind. Signal to it Adam."

Adam thought his mind was going haywire. First the communicating with dead people, then Max, now the stone. "it's now or nothing" he thought. Adam closed his eyes, and concentrated his hardest. About twenty feet away from him, the second piece of the sacred stone began to glow, this one more vibrant than the last. "Found it!" Adam lunged forward to the object. Unfortunately, the light also attracted more unwanted visitors. Nicholas too saw the glow from across the room, and started for it. "Adam! Watch out!" Evi shouted, seeing a five thousand year old mummy going towards him. He turned around, and hid the stone piece behind his back. "You wouldn't kill a human prodigy, would you?" he grinned sympathetically. The mummy held up his enchanted sword, and Adam took that for a solid yes. He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the end. Then, out of the blue, Horus jumped out in front of his master, taking the blow for himself. "NO!" Adam screamed, struggling in his grandmother's grasp. Max fell to the ground, blood seeping onto his fur. The mummy stood there, admiring his work. "I killed the great Horus!" he laughed, forgetting for one moment about his main goal. Rick took the piece from Adam, and put it on top of the other. A blast shook the rocks around, making Nicholas fly back against the wall. "Did your friend ever say anything about how this thing works?" Rick asked urgently.

"He's NOT dead!" Adam cried, taking the now put together stone. "Horus, please help me!" he called him with his mind power.

"You know the spell, send him back to the underworld." a now fainter voice called out.

"But I don't know any spell!" Adam was beginning to panic.

"You guys better hurry!" Jonathan pointed a shaky finger towards the mummy. He was trapped under a pile of rubble, but nothing could restrain him forever. Adam thought and thought about a spell, but nothing came to mind. A new and strange voice flooded into his head, filling it with confusion. "The dream, remember the dream..."

Then everything came into place. Vivid memories from his dream about his grandmother's father came into view. Then, it made absolutely no sense. Now, it was the key for survival. "Cassgen Voneguen!" he shouted at the creature.

"NO!" the mummy shouted, breaking free from the rocks.  
>"Have fun in the underworld, pal." Evi said.<p>

The mummy froze in his spot, his merciful expression etched upon his face for eternities to come.


	9. Reunion

"Is it dead?" Rick poked the body lightly. It fell onto the floor, breaking into a thousand pieces. A few seconds later, the pieces rose up in a fine, black dust. Then, just like that, the whole things disappeared from sight. The entire room was filled with an erie silence. "Wow." Jonathan burst out. "We should be partying right now! No more mummies... For now anyway!"

Adam shook Rick to get his attention. "Max! What about Max?" he cried.

Rick went over to the dog, and felt for a pulse. "He's still alive." he said, picking him up.

Evi looked at Rick. "Will he make it?"

"Hopefully so, but we better hurry!"

"Let's go! Let's go!" Adam said, pushing them forward.

"Can I just say one more thing?" Rick held up his finger. "can you please promise me that we will never go into any more catacombs? This place is starting to freak me out."

"My thoughts exactly." Evi smiled.

Adam took her hand, and Jonathan's with the other, and walked towards the exit.

Jonathan stopped, and so did the others. He looked back longingly at the treasure. "I guess we're going home empty handed... again." Rick gazed at his wife, and thought about how lucky he was to be there alive. "I wouldn't say that!" he laughed. Evi looked up at him, smiled, and kissed him passionately. Adam stuck his finger in his mouth. "Why must history repeat itself?" Jonathan looked up at the sky.

"You don't know how long I've waited to do that again!" Rick laughed.

"Me too." Evi stayed in his arms, never wanting to let go.

"Well," a voice came from behind them. "Some things just never change!"

Evi and Rick swiveled around to see their son standing there, arms folded. He had a look of pure vengeance in his eyes. "mother." he said through clenched teeth. Evi smiled reassuringly at him. "We're just touring though, that's all!"

"We thought that." Lin smirked, "then we checked the forecast for Moscow!"

"Oh, I am sure of that." Rick muttered.

"And you know what's funny?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Evi said.

"Seeing a fifty percent chance of world domination by a Russian mummy!"

"On the weather?"

"I was being sarcastic."

"Okay, fine! We woke up a mummy, killed him, and if you don't mind, we have a dying dog on our hands!" Evi said, remembering Max was still with them. "Don't think this changes anything." Alex glared, turning to his son. "What did they do to you?"

Adam looked at him like he was crazy. "Grandma and grandpa took me to save Jonathan, we woke up a mummy, found a dog, and saved the day!"

"Welcome to the family!" Jonathan grinned, giving him a high five.

"Now you know how my life was when I was your age!" Alex laughed.

"I missed you so much!" Lin said, giving him a hug.

"No time for that!" Adam pushed her away. "My dog is dying!" tears began to pout down his face. Rick bent down, and checked for a pulse. He looked up, grim faced. "I'm sorry." he whispered to Adam.

"He can't be dead!" he pushed everyone aside to see his friend. "Max." he breathed, unable to control his emotions. "I don't care if you're a God or not, you're my dog and I will always love you!" he thought for a moment, and then put a gentle hand on his side. "If I really do have powers, then let me use them!" he almost shouted at the empty sky. When nothing happened, Adam put his head down in defeat. "I knew it was too good to he true."

A light finger touched his shoulder, making him jerk his head up. Right before his eyes, the glimmering reflection of Horus above Max's body. "Young one, arise." he spoke just above a whisper. "I think he means you." Jonathan shoved him forward. "Yes?" he yelped. "Your bravery inspires me, chosen one."

"Well, um, thanks." Adam stammered.

"My destiny is complete, thanks to you all," he turned to the rest of the family. "This child has a gift beyond measure. You should be proud of his achievements."

"Oh we are!" everyone said in unison, accept for Jonathan. He finally let out a faint "hmph,"

"I must leave now, for I can't stay in this world too long." he turned around to leave. "Wait!" Adam gathered up his strength to face him. "Please, I want my dog back."

Horus gave him a lingering stare, lost in thought. "Hmm... You are a very noble one... I will grant your wish." he waved a hand over the body. Immediately, a tail started to thump against the ground. "Max?" he whispered. A head popped up, its black eyes full of a new energy. "Max!" he gave him a hug. Max licked his face, like an _I- missed- you- too_ present. "Didn't see that coming!" Evi laughed, sitting down to face the dog. "I'm sorry for being so vile to you this whole time." she gave him a sad smile. She hesitated for a second, then pushed her fears aside. She wrapped her arms around the dog, feeling its warm body against hers. "Thank you for saving my grandsons live." Rick put a hand on his wife's shoulder. He patted Max on the head, and then eventually joined into the hugging circle. Jonathan, feeling strangely alone and awkward being next to Alex sighed and gave Max a rub on the back. "Can we keep him daddy?" Adam looked at Alex with his big brown eyes glistening off the sunlight. "We can't, with your mom being allergic in all."

Adam looked desperately at his mother. "But- but- why?"

"I'm really sorry Adam." she sighed.

The tears came back again, these ones more violent than the last. Evi looked desperately at Rick, not knowing which path to take. When he didn't seem to show any signs of helpfulness, Evi had to do what she thought was right. "He can stay with us."

Everyone looked at her like she was mistaken or something. "No, I mean it!" she could obviously see their doubts. "Max can live at our house, where Adam can visit him whenever he wants!"

Alex laughed. "this is coming from the person that wouldn't take me to parks because she was afraid a dog would trample me!"

Evi looked at him skeptically. "Okay, we'll let him go free, who knows who will almost kill him on the road next?"

"Okay fine he won't be road kill." Alex sighed.

"See, I always get my way in this family!" she smiled at Rick.

"So- um, where's your car?" Lin asked, seeing nothing but a barren wasteland from all directions. "Oh, that old thing." Rick envisioned his poor car with dust covering the exterior, the paint peeling, the rusting... "Guess we're walking!" he tried to forget his car nightmares. Evi took her sons hand in hers, and smiled. "It's really good to see you again."

"Always the pleasure, mom."

"Hey?" everyone turned to the seven year old. "Do you wanna hear the whole story?"

"We are in the middle of nowhere... why not?" Lin smiled.

"Well," he looked around. "It all started when I took grandma to school..."


	10. Words From the Heart

Three Weeks Later...

Adam was back at school, feeling more confident than ever. "It's too bad your grandma can't come any more." Sally said. The classroom seemed full of boredom without any grandparents. Ironic, right? Adam stared longingly at the clock above the door, which read 2:59. Only ten more minutes until he could get out of stupid math class and be with Max. The bell went off, triggering a chain reaction of second graders flooding out the door. Before Adam could reach the door, Sally and a few other fans of his grandmothers stores stood in front of him. "We heard you went to Russia and actually fought a mummy!" Sally grinned.

"Yah, is it?" the boys asked eagerly.

Adam stood quietly for a moment, and then replied strongly. "Yup, I defeated a mummy! With the help of my grandparents."

That comment attracted more students. "tell us the story!" everyone cheered. Adam smiled, and cleared his throat. "It all began with my crazy uncle..."

Adam stared out the open car window, full of complete boredom. "Are we there yet?" he groaned.

"Just a few more minutes!" his mother sighed. "Then you can have the whole weekend with your grandparents."

"I can't wait to see Max again!"

"Are you saying your grandparents are cooler than your own parents?" Lin said in disbelief. "Way. way cooler." Adam muttered to himself.

Back at the O'Connell's household, Max was feeling right a home. He had the perfect dog life; sitting on the couch, eating treats, getting walks, it was the sweet life. Evi opened the door, letting Max back inside from the yard. He came bounding up to her, knowing she had a treat for him. She knelt down, and rubbed him behind the ears. "You're the best dog in the world." she cooed, feeding him the snack. As soon as Evi and Rick took Max home, they knew it was meant to be. Evi also then got over her fear of huge dogs.

"Hey Evi?" Rick called out from their bedroom. "Is Adam still coming over for the weekend?"

"Why wouldn't he?" she smiled at Max. "Adam enjoys every second he has at this house."

Rick came out the door, and fed Max another treat. "What was that about being a boring old grandparent?" he smirked.

Evi glanced over her shoulder to the car coming into the driveway. "The name grandma is so overrated."

The door swung open, and in came Adam. Lin came in after him, and looked surprisingly at Rick. "I have no idea how you two do it." she shook her head.

"It's all in the family." Evi laughed. Adam bounded up to his grandparents side. He jumped into Rick's arms, and rested his head up against his shoulder.

With a smile, he whispered these words:

"I love you."


End file.
